Aftermath
by Beecliffnchief
Summary: After the battle in Chicago, the Autobot's are helping recover the city, and rebuilding the Nest base, but Mirage is restless and bored with chasing remaining Decepticons off, he often gets his bestfriend, Sideswipe, in trouble with street racing, causing more damage, instead of helping fix the damage, Mirage's restlessness, is starting to drive both the Autobots and humans crazy.
1. Chapter 1

Nest facility base in Washington DC.

After the terror that was rised from the Decepticons had ended, Decepticon activity was low even rare, the battle stopped almost as soon as it begun.

Megatron was gone now what was to there to do, besides run the remaining Decepticons off the planet.

"Mirage, have you even listened to one damn word that came from me?!" Ratchet hissed snapping the racing red mech out of his thoughts.

"No, non proprio" Mirage sighed through his heavy italian accent, rolling his optics at the new second in command, at turning his helm towards the silver mech he stood beside.

"Mirage I am not playing games, you two can't go racing in the humans streets just because are fast, these aren't Cybertron's speedways where you can fly down and not worry about killing someone if you hit them!" Ratchet snarled at the two restless young mechs.

"Ok Ratch we get the point..." Sideswipe hissed in annoyance, finally having enough of the medics ranting.

"I hope so Sideswipe, Mirage I certainly hope that it got through your thick helm" Ratchet lowly growled before leaving the two young mechs.

"Can Ratchet go on about one thing forever or is it just me?" Sideswipe snorted with a snicker, raising an optic ridge as he watched Ratchet walk away.

"You got that right amico!" Mirage chuckled, nudging Sideswipe with his elbow.

"They didn't learn anything from my rant, they'll do it again, and Optimus is going to be on my ass about keeping them under control..." Ratchet sighed, complaining to Bumblebee, who was trying to help the humans with maintenance on the base, Ratchet shook his helm, leaning against a wall, watching the two mechs laugh.

_"It only takes one bad thing to them or someone else, for them to learn"_ Bumblebee played from his radio, in reply to Ratchet's complaining.

"So I'm supposed to let them kill someone?" Ratchet asked pushing off the wall he leaned against.

_"Doc you're losing me, prevent the chaos from happening" _Bumblebee quickly replied to the medic, tossing some broken generators past the lime green medic.

"It's pretty sad that you're younger then them, and yet you have more maturity" Ratchet scoffed fixing his optics back on Mirage and Sideswipe.

_"Don't be too quick to judge the book by it's cover, some hide better then others"_

"Hmm, perhapes you are right, I know they are bored obviously, but perhapes their mental state is still shocked by the tragedy we went through recently" Ratchet sighed agreeing Bumblebee had some good points.

"Hey Mirage, you think your fancy sports car is enough motor to beat us?" Roadbuster challenged walking up to the silver corvette and racing red ferrari, with Leadfoot and Topspin.

"No we just got yelled at we better no..." Sideswipe shook his helm before getti g interupted by an heavy italian accent.

"We could tear the road past you and you wouldn't even know it!" Mirage scoffed taking the challenge, and automatically entering Sideswipe in it.

"Mirage, if we do we're going to have the Hatchet on our ass" Sideswipe whispered leaning over to Mirage.

"It's worth the risk amico, we were challenged!" Mirage replied giving Sideswipe a playful smack.

Realistically earth based sports vehichles vs Nascar, would never be a fair race, but their cybertronian tech gave the super speeds that humans have never dreamed of doing in a car, Mirage besides Blur, was known as one od the fastest Cybertronians known, wining many street races on Cybertron, named as the invisible victor, Mirage had never doubted his ability to beat the wreckers.

"Alright, we'll start on from here to the first exit on the highway!" Sideswipe said transforming, and reving his engine as the wreckers transformed into their nascar figures.

"You got it!" Roadbuster enthusiastically laghed, as he and the other wreckers reved their own engines.

"Ready go!" Leadfoot said peeling off with Topspin and Roadbuster.

"That was fair!" Sideswipe retorted, peeling out of the base with Mirage, screeching around the corner and onto the freeway.

"They didn't!" Ratchet said, jumping out from behind an aircraft we was welding.

_"Uh oh, spaghettio!" _Bumblebee facepalmed, after seeing the Corvette and Ferrari tear out of the base.

"I just yelled at them about this, dammit!" Ratchet growled throwing his wrench on the ground, and storming off to find Optimus.

"I wouldn't want to be Mirage or Sideswipe, right now" Colonel Lenox scoffed, from where he stood beside Bumblebee's ped.

_"Duck and Cover, run for your lives, it's going to be hell on Earth!" _Bumblebee nodded, watching the medic storm off.

On the freeway, the roar of engines echoed of the cement barriers following the freeway, humans squeeling to a halt, honking, and rearending eachother as the unusual war nascars sped past with a Corvette and Ferrari.

The sound of shifting gears and the speeds getting faster filled the air, as Sideswipe and Mirage were side by side with the three while the freeway was clear, at the moment.

"You finally caught up!" Topspin teased the two young mechs, as he sped up pulling slightly ahead of the Corvette.

"Yeah cause thatwas a real fair start!?" Sideswipe scoffed pulling up beside the wreckers.

"Yeah looks like your champion racer friend, is falling behind" Leadfoot remarked tilting his mirror to see the racing red Ferrari, falling behind them all.

"That's what you think!" Sideswipe smirked in his alt form, flickering his headlights at the Ferrari ahead of them.

"What, how'd that damn kid get infront!?" Roadbuster snarled, accelerating to catch Mirage as the first exit of the freeway appeared.

"I am no illusion!" Mirage taunted, putting his pedal to the floor hitting top speeds pulling way ahead, he flew onto the exit, and screeched doing a 360 halt.

Topspin was second, Sideswipe third Roadbuster fourth, and Leadfoot dead last.

"I want a rematch that was ridiculous!" Roadbuster growled in his thick scottish accent.

Before Mirage or Sideswipe could say anything the sound of Nest helicopters and vehichles came to their audios, and soon their sights, the helicopter circled them from above, while the sound and sight of an angry semi truck came towards them all.

"Mirage, Sideswipe, wrecker,s return to base immediately, you have caused significant damage to the humans!" Optimus sternly growled at the five tired race vehicles.

"We are in so much shit..." Sideswipe whispered to Mirage, as they slowly followed Optimus back to the base.

"Questo non è buono"

Sideswipe needed no translator for that, he knew exactly what the Racing red mech ment.

* * *

**Amico= friend**

**non proprio= No not really**

**Questo non è buono= this isn't good**


	2. Haunting memories

Back at base after a slow silent angered drive lead by Optimus.

"What were you thinking!?" Ratchet yelled, making Sideswipe cower, and Mirage fold his arms and roll his optics.

"Oh wait you weren't thinking, on the way back to base did you see all the human vehicles you ran off the road!?" Ratchet continued to scold the two young mechs.

Sideswipe looked apologetic and felt stupid for what he did, he know he could have killed someone.

Meanwhile Mirage didn't really seem to care, he had other things on his mind, this planet was clearly not built for his type of life style, how do the others adapt?

"Luckily, no one was seriously hurt from this" Optimus sternly told the two, reading Sideswipes apologetic body language, Optimus knew someone was absorbing his and Ratchet's words.

"Sorry Optimus, it wont happen again" Sideswipe finally stepped up and apologized recieving a nod from both Ratchet and Optimus, before he could cower away, to go help with the damage they caused.

"Mirage is anything sinking in, or are you just ignoring everything we say to you?" Ratchet scoffedturning his attention to the careless spy.

"Mmhmm..." Mirage ignored the medic and kept his gaze fixed on Sideswipe helping the human soldiers, while Bumblebee walked over to Optimus.

"Clearly not, Mirage you are causing grave danger to the native life forms of this planet, and you need to start coping with the fact that you live here now, and there are a differen't set of rules here." Ratchet sighed with frustration, Mirage didn't seem to care for what he or Optimus were trying to explain.

Mirage's body language was practically unreadable, Optimus knew Mirage hid his feelings very well keeping himself and hiding everything in the dark, Optimus could clearly see that Mirage didn't care for what he and the medic said to him, so Optimus had differen't plans for the mech.

"Mirage you have failed to try to tone yourself to Earth customs, I'm assigning Bumblebee to mentor you, and remind you of the way we should behave around humans" Optimus said gesturing to the yellow teenage youngling.

"What!?" Mirage gasped snapping out of his daze, and looking the camaro up and down.

Optimus knew Mirage was a mere teenage youngling just as Bumblebee was, and Bumblebee was definetly the bot that clould relate to the restless spy.

"Bumblebee is very fond of the humans, and takes protecting them very seriously, and I think you could learn from him, I don't want any further comments" Optimus sternly rold the annoyed spy.

"I hope you freaking learn something!" Ratchet scoffed before turning and walking away with Optimus leaving the two younglings be.

_"You, me, and a whole lot of learning!"_Bumblebee enthusiastically chimed through his radio.

"Cazzo..." Mirage muttered drooping his doorwings, looking at Bumblebee standing there with a giant goofy grin.

_"It'll be more fun than you think" _Bumblebee reassured his fellow teammate.

Mirage just rolled his optics and walking away from Bumblebee, he made his way over to go see Sideswipe who was helping the humans, Bumblebee followed to no surprise.

"They could go on forever with lectures, huh amico?" Mirage joked giving Sideswipe who was holding up a platform getting welded, a playful nudge.

"Sure Mirage I'm kind of busy helping, we can talk later" Sideswipe said, maintaining his balance, trying not to struggle with the platform.

_"Or or, you could pitch in and help the humans too" _Bumblebee suggested, nudging Mirage, and gesturing to Sideswipe and the humans.

"Ridicolo" Mirage threw his arms up and left the scene.

Bumblebee sighed in defeat, shaking his helm at the racing red mech walking away.

"It was worth a try Bee, Mirage is just a little shy" Sideswipe said from over his shoulder, knowing what the yellow mech felt.

Bumblebee nodded, and took off trying to catch restless mech.

Mirage walked through the air hanger, past many humans and military vehichles, and past Optimus, as he approached the hanger door, he could hear peds catching up to him from behind.

_"Come on Mirage, you don't know if you like or not if you don't try" _Bumblebee hummed, stopping behind the red mech who halted a step before he reached outside.

Optimus lifted his helm, brining his attention away from Lennox, and brining his attention towards the scouts radio static words.

"Please amico, just leave me alone..." Mirage sighed taking a deep breath, before transforming and driving off, leaving the scout and the team behind.

"He's a stubborn one isn't he?" a small chuckle came from behind the yellow camaro.

_"You can say that again" _Bumblebee sighed over his shoulder , to see Lennox and Optimus.

"Mirage is a very hard one to read my friend, and I fear something that is bothering him, is leading to his racing excursions" Optimus said, placing a servo on Bumblebee's shoulder.

_"If you're upset, why not tell someone?"_

"Mirage is not know for admitting he's upset about something, making him a very difficult young mech to deal with, because we don't know weather he's just in a mood, or something is wrong" Optimus sighed watching the hanger door with Bumblebee.

"He eventually comes around to telling you right?" Lennox asked looking up at Optimus.

"Mirage could hide things for ever if he had everything his way" Optimus sighed shaking his helm at the human.

"So I'll take it as a yes, he eventually does"

6 Earth hours later, 12 midnight, most of the human soldiers were asleep except for the guards, and a few maintenance workers.

The hum of Mirage's engine came in earshot of the awake soldiers, as Mirage drove cautiously into the base, the sound of transformation came next, as Mirage transformed and continued walking through the hanger, walking past all the resting Autobots in their vehicle mode, Mirage was not one for recharge, he liked to be alert at all times.

The sudden sound of a transformation, made Mirage jump and swirl around, to see it was the silver corvette that had transformed, the mech smirked at Mirage, who standing in a cautious stance.

"Scared ya didn't I?" Sideswipe chuckled giving Mirage a playful poke on the shoulder, pushing the lightweight red mech slightly back.

Mirage shrugged and sighed, frowning and staring at a wall to the right side of him, looking away from the silver warrior.

"Hey buddy, I was just joking around with you, you know that" Sideswipe cooed placing a servo on Mirage's shoulder.

Mirage turned his helm being optic to optic with Sideswipe, and tried to give the mech a smile, but ended up sighing lowering his helm, and drooping his doorwnings.

"Mirage is something wrong?" Sideswipe asked, concern could be heard in his tone and read on his faceplate.

"Whatever..." Mirage rolled his optics as he turned back around, and left the silver mech.

"Mirage, come on, talk to me buddy" Sideswipe begged following the red mech through the hanger.

Mirage shook his helm and picked up his walking pace, making Sideswipe skate faster.

"Something is upsetting you clearly, why don't you tell me?" Sideswipe said pulling up beside Mirage.

Mirage then turned invisible, and exited the room, with out anyone or Sideswipe catching him.

"I will be there for you when you want to speak..." Sideswipe sighed rolling back to his resting spot between Ratchet and Bumblebee.

"Mirage I know I say this to you every night, but it's time to power down or whatever you bots do" Lennox's voice came to Mirage's audio receptors, after passing the human.

"...Yep..." Mirage sighed rolling his optics, before transforming and backing into a space far away from the others.

"Thank you" Lennox thanked the Ferrari, giving Mirage a small pat on his hood, before starting to walk away.

Mirage sighed and listened as Lennox's footsteps faded as he left out of the hanger, as soon as he no longer heard the footsteps, he transformed back into robot form, and sat leaning against the wall.

Mirage looked to the side down the row of military vehichles and Autobots quite a few feet away from him, he knew by the atmosphere in the room, that everyone was recharging peacfully, even Optimus, Mirage then turned his helm back and started staring off into space, his mind filling with the recent terror that had happened.

A few hours later, Mirage shook his helm, shaking the memories off his mind, looking at his internal clock, read 5:30, soon the humans and the team would be waking getting, back to the repairs on the base.

Taking a deep breath, Mirage stared up at the steel cement ceiling, his incredible optics catching a spider crawling across the support beams back to it's web, another bug was captured and struggling to get out of the hold of the sticky web, the spider took it's time and crawled slowly to the bug, the deadly spider did a few circles around the bug, to Mirage it looked like it was teasing it's victim, but the spider was actually looking for a moment to strike the struggling bug, the bug soon got tired, and that was the moment for the spider to strike, like lightening the spider clamped onto the bug filling it with it's venom, paralizing the bug, the spider then continued his work, starting to wrap the half dead bug in it's web, a few moments later the spider finished wrapping the helpless bug, and started to suck the life from the bug, ending it's life.

The scene of the spider and the bug, sent chills through Mirage, it reminded him of the captured situation he and the others were in, back in the Chicago battle.

_"Get off of me!" Ratchet cried as he was tossed to the ground by a Decepticon soldier, and kicked, before being violently pulled onto his knees._

_Mirage winced and turned his helm towards Bumblebee, who was being held captive by Barricade, who was currently playing with Bumblebee as though he were a puppet, before kicking Bumblebee hard in the back, throwing Bumblebee violently to his knees._

_Mirage couldn't stand there and let that happen, Mirage violently lunged forward towards Barricade, almost pulling his wrists __out of the Decepticon soldier grip, Mirage was quickly ripped back and backhanded across the face, Mirage went limp and hung his helm for a few moments, before turning and seeing Sideswipe taking everything very camly, trying to talk the cons out of their violence._

_"Come on, take it easy, we surrender" Sideswipe said, attempting to calm Soundwave's soldiers agression towards them._

_The Decepticons ignored Sideswipes words, as they continued to push and shove them into the ground, as the human working for the Decepticons approached Soundwave._

_"Prisoners, you're keeping prisoners?" Dylan snapped taking a good look at the Autobot prisoners._

_"Yes" Soundwave replied to the human, in a venomous tone._

_"You need to teach them about respect, this was all bussiness, but now it's personal, do you understand me?" Dylan hissed to the silver SLS._

_"I understand, no prisoners only trophies" Soundwave snickered evilly before reloading his weapons before making his way towards the Autobots._

_"Bee I think they're going to, kill us" Wheeljack gasped, overhearing the cons conversation._

_Bumblebee gave a robotic whine in reply, as he was grabbed by the con holding him, meanwhile Soundwave came up from behind Wheeljack._

_"You, your times up!" Soundwave hissed, grabbing and throwing Wheeljack in the center of the Autobots vision._

_"Wait wait wait, we surrender, we're your prisoners!" Wheeljack stuttered as he tripped and stumbled over debris._

_"Move it!" Soundwave growled his order, giving the old mech another shove._

_"Can't we talk this over, we're all a bunch of goo chaps..."_

_The echo and the vibration of the shots killing the old mech pierced Mirage's spark, as much as it did with Bumblebee._

Mirage violently jolted out the small recharge that he had fallen into, to see Sideswipe standing over him with a concerned puzzled gaze.

* * *

**Cazzo= F*ck**


	3. Hell highway

"You alright buddy, you were drifting into recharge just a few moments ago?" Sideswipe said, crouching down infront of the heavily breathing, almost panicked younger mech.

"Sorry if I woke you, I know you were just starting to drift off, I let you rest..."

"I'm fine amico" Mirage sighed, staring off at the open hanger door.

"Tired?" Sideswipe said, seeing the young spy's, tired droopy, deep sky blue optics.

"No not really..." Mirage yawned, turning his helm to face Sideswipe.

"Really, cause the guards said you up all night, until just a few moments ago" Sideswipe smiled, sitting next to the racing red Ferrari.

"Qualunque cosa" Mirage rolled his optics, playfully shoving Sideswipe, throwing the silver mech off balance.

"Alright Mr. energy, you have patrol with Bee, thought I'd tell you" Sideswipe chuckled standing back up, beside the red youngling.

"Thanks..." Mirage sighed, as Sideswipe rolled away as Bumblebee approached.

_"Ready to go amico!?" Bumblebee chirped through the radio, standing with a big bright smile._

Mirage rolled his optics giving a groan, hopping to his peds, standing face to face with his fellow youngling.

"Good you two are ready too go" Ratchet walking over to the two, smiled through his usual gruff voice.

_"As ready as we can get doc!" Bumblebee chimed fluttering his doorwings._

Mirage just rolled his optics looking the other way, Mirage usually was easilly annoyed at the overly cheerful scouts bubbly attitude, Mirage had no reason to be but somehow it did, perhapes it was because Bumblebee got all the attention, and praise, for being a good youngling scout, meanwhile Mirage just got scolded and yelled at for being his own youngling self.

"Mirage I expect that you will try to hold back on racing this time, I don't want any news of you causing anymore accidents with the humans" Ratchet scoffed his warning to the racing red youngling.

Before Mirage could sarcastically reply, Bumblebee cut in _"Don't worry doc, I'll keep him under control"_ Bumblebee winked giving Ratchet a thumbs up, making the medic give a small smile and chuckle.

Mirage infuriated, not being able to tolerate the yellow scout, Mirage quickly stormed towards the hanger door, past Optimus and the wreckers.

"He's a little cranky, just a warning, he didn't get much recharge" Sideswipe mentioned wheeling up a flabbergasted Bumblebee.

_"Wish I got that warning a few minutes ago" _Bumblebee scoffed, before catching up with the transforming red mech.

Mirage revved his engine impatiently, as Bumblebee took his time with his transformation, before calmly driving out of the base.

Mirage was the complete opposite, he did a small burnout, before peeling off after the camaro.

"I thought you spoke to him?" Optimus asked, turning to the ancient medic below him.

"I did, Bumblebee'll smarten him up" Ratchet replied with a shrugg as he welded the platform Optimus held.

"I hope you're correct old friend" Optimus sighed, continuing to hold the platform up for the medic.

Out on the freeway, Bumblebee struggled to keep up with the Ferrari, with Mirage weaving in and out of traffic.

_"Slow it down speed racer!" _Bumblebee called, finally on a clear lane, Bumblebee pulled up behind Mirage.

Mirage then unexpectedly slamed on his breaks, causing Bumblebee to slam his breaks on, slowing himself somewhat, as he rear ended the Ferrari.

"Slow enough for you?" Mirage retorted to the yellow camaro.

Bumblebee steaming with annoyance and frustration, was so tempted to transform and toss Mirage off the Freeway, the racing red youngling was clearly in the mood to annoy him today.

_"To slow, lets go!" _Bumblebee peeled off, seeing a semi truck flying up from behind.

"Merda!" Mirage quickly hit the gas and sped off after Bumblebee, missing getting struck by the semi truck, he passed Bumblebee and went back to racing down the freeway.

_"This is patrol, not a speed race!" _Bumblebee growled, pulling infront of Mirage and slowing the Ferrari down.

Mirage responded by changing lanes, but Bumblebee reacted right away, swerving into the same lane, Mirage then swerved beck into the other lane, causing Bumblebee to do the same.

Mirage seeing an exit off the freeway, revved his engine abruptly, and quickly cut across the lane into the exit, escaping and losing the yellow camaro.

Mirage snickered, hearing the squeel of Bumblebee's tires coming to a hault, and the honks and yelling from the traffic that he had stopped.

Bumblebee couldn't just turn around in the insane traffic lined up behind him, he had to find the next exit, and find a way to get to his fellow trouble making youngling.

Bumblebe quickly accelerated, and sped off down the freeway, searching for the next exit, during that he called back to base.

"_Bumblebee calling for back up, Mirage took off on me"_ Bumblebee's radio came over the commlink.

"Great, Mirage is going to get us kicked off this planet for good" Ratchet facepalmed in annoyance.

"I'll get him, I'm on my way Bee!" Sideswipe replied to the others, transforming and racing his way to Mirage.

Sideswipe sped past traffic on the freeway, and flew down the exit Mirage took that Bumblebee missed, onto another freeway, he sped past traffic, until he could see and hear the sound of a familiar, Ferrari engine.

"Mirage pull over!" Sideswipe yelled in a firm tone, making Mirage slightly jump.

Mirage obeyed and veered off onto another exit leading to a lone road, where he pulled over into an abandoned old building, with Sideswipe closely behind.

Mirage and Sideswipe made sure there was no one around, before transforming.

Mirage knew he was in trouble, by the dissapointed look on Sideswipe's faceplates, Mirage drooped his doorwings, and waited for the older mech to ring him out on what he did wrong.

"Mirage, things don't have to go this way if just obey the rules given to you" Sideswipe sighed rolling over calmly to the red youngling.

"You don't always obey rules, you always say, rules were meant to be bent!" Mirage scoffed at Sideswipe.

"Ok ok, I do say that but not all the time, and I only bend the rules when necassary, at least now I do, this planet is nothing like ours, it has a lot of fragile things, and whole lot of more rules" Sideswipe replied, watching Mirage peek out an opening on the building.

"I hate this planet, and I hate the beings that infest it, I wish we could go home..." Mirage sadly replied fixing his gaze on the glass and rubble infested concrete floor.

"Mirage I know your homesick, we all are, clearly you're a little more then the rest of us but we have all adapted to our surrounding here, even the wreckers" Sideswipe told the spy, as the sound of a rumbling engine came with in earshot.

Bumblebee rolled in, transforming in an annoyed and angered way, walking straight up to Mirage.

Mirage backed up slightly, as the angry scout aggressively came at him. "Who_ do you think you are, driving around like a lunatic!?"_ Bumblebee snapped, pointing a fingure at Mirage.

Sideswipe stepped in, trying to prevent a fight from sparking between the two younglings. "Bee...come on lets not start..." Sideswipe called, trying calm Bumblebee down, his attempt to prevent the fight, failed to comply with the two.


	4. Side argument

Mirage shook his helm, while his aggravation grew "Who the hell do you think you are, trying to tell me what to do, how to drive, and telling me I'm pazzo!?" Mirage snapped right back, in his thick italian accent, backing Bumblebe up.

_"If the shoe fits, wear it..." _Bumblebee scoffed over his radio, looking away from the angered red youngling.

"Che cosa la frag is a shoe!?" Mirage growled, waving his claws.

_"Start speaking the main Earth language, you have an issue with everything I know, but what did I do to you, that makes you hate me!?" _Bumblebee hissed getting up in Mirage's face.

"Have an issue with everything!?" Mirage cleched his claws into a fist. "I may have some issues, that dosen't mean I have all issues!"

"Oh wait I forgot, golden bot dosen't have a problem with anything, because rainbows come out his ass as he bows down to kiss yours!" Mirage snarled, poking Bumblebee in the chest with one of his sharp claws.

"Hey, what happened to us all, just getting along!?" Sideswipe cooed, grabbing both Bumblebee and Mirage, pulling them together.

Bumblebee sighed and rolled his optics, while Mirage squirmed out of Sideswipe's grasp.

"I'm going back to base, don't feel the need to, BEE, my escort!" Mirage snarled, before storming off, transforming and peeling off back to the base.

_"Mirage hates me more then Sam's mom, when I blew up her garden"_ Bumblebee sadly sighed, watching the cloud of dust, follow the Ferrari.

"That's not true Bee, he just didn't get any recharge" Sideswipe simply shrugged.

_"No he's always like this around me, recharge deprived isn't the excuse" _Bumblebee shook his helm, at the silver mech standing beside him.

"I don't know, maybe he feels undermined, cuase he's younger then you, I don't know Mirage is impossible to read, he's almost always in a mood" Sideswipe sighed not knowing how to answer the scout.

_"He's insecure?"_ Bumblebee whirred transforming with the silver Corvette.

"On this planet, basically" Sideswipe agreed, following the yellow and black Camaro.

Back at base Mirage sped past Ratchet and a few soldiers, nearly missing colonel Lenox, as he swerved past the hangers, under the wreckers and Optimus, and straight to the back of the base, backing up to the wall, shutting off his engine, not moving a singal gear.

"Mirage what the hell..."

"Ratch, you yelling at him is just bringing smoke to a fire" Sideswipe warned transforming at the base enterance with Bumblebee, quickly catching up to fuming Ratchet.

"I don't care, it's bad enough he drives like that on a freeway, in here in an enclosed area with lots of humans is unacceptable!" Ratchet replied to Sideswipe's warning.

"Bumblebee the patrol did go off the deep end quickly, what happened?" Optimus asked, as they all stood around infront of Mirage's parked form.

_"Nothing out of the ordinary, Mirage hates me, didn't listen to the rules and warnings I gave him, and Mirage hates listening to anything I have to say, so instead of listening or just back talking, he caused trouble, almost causing multiple car accidents" _Bumblebee reported, watching Mirage's unmoving form.

Sideswipe rolled his optics, sighing, and face palming, as Ratchet, continued to rant at the silent Ferrari. "And if any bot here knows, the safety of the humans it's Bumblebee, you need to be more like him, mature up and figure out what your doing wrong, before you get us kicked off this planet, Bumblebee knows what good from bad, unlike you, so start taking t..."

"Mirage may I speak with you alone" Optimus requested, interupting the medics rant.

The others quickly got the hint, and left the prime to speak with the troublesome youngling.

"Mirage transform please" Optimus firmly, but politely ordered the Ferrari, who hesitantly obliged.

"Mirage..."

*here we go... Mirage don't do this, you're being a bad youngling, you should be more like Bumblebee...* Mirage pouted predicting what the Prime was about too say to him.

"Would you like a hug from Sideswipe?" Optimus asked, shocking the hell out of Mirage.

"Come again!?" Mirage replied, wondering if those words really came from the towering mechs vocals.

"Sideswipe has offered to give you a hug if needed" Optimus replied with a smile, to the youngling that stared at him with a confusion.

"Riiiiii..." Mirage shook his helm, looking away from Optimus.

"But we do need to talk, no more hidding..."

"Oh ha ha that was a good one!" Mirage scoffed crossing his arms, interupting the mighty Prime.

"I fail to see what is so funny?" Optimus questioned, raising an optic ridge at the red youngling.

"...Oh... I thought you were making a joke... cause I turn invisible... Never mind, just continue on" Mirage mumbled, getting back to the lost conversation.

"...Anyway Mirage, no more hidding, something is triggering you to behave like this" Optimus continued on from where he left off.

"What are you talking about, I act like this all the time" Mirage nervously smiled, waving off the prime.

"Perhaps, but not all the time, something is upsetting you, and you try to forget about it by, you racing habbits, endangering humans on the freeways, please, youngling let us help you" Optimus spoke in a soft concerned tone, placing a servo on Mirage's shoulder.

Mirage didn't answer, he gazed at Optimus, before looking away, looking at Sideswipe with the other Autobots.

"And if you feel more comfortable, speaking with someone who is closer to you, I will request Sideswipe, to take the time to listen to you" Optimus offered.

Mirage knocks Optimus's servo off of his shoulder. "Sideswipe is my amico, he does not need to take a requested meeting, he always has the time to listen to me" Mirage scoffed watching Sideswipe.

"Very well then, perhaps you would like to speak with him, and I will listen as well, he is going to tell me anyway" Optimus said, waving Sideswipe over to them.

"Fine whatever, wait now?!" Mirage nervously asked, as Sideswipe approached them.

"Hey, what's going on, little buddy?" Sideswipe smiled, giving Mirage a small very light punch to the shoulder.

Mirage smacked Sideswipe, who laughed at him playfully, teasing him.

"Let us go speak somewhere in private" Optimus announced, taking Mirage and Sideswipe out back, where no soldiers worked, and no other Autobots lounging around.

"Alright sooo?" Sideswipe, still quite confused on why he was called over.

"Something is wieghing heavy on Mirage's conscience, and has taken a toll in his behavior, Mirage is going to share what's bothering him, so we can help him" Optimus finally gave an explanation to the silver mech.

"Alright, I'm all audios buddy" Sideswipe said, turning all his attention to the youngling.

Mirage stared blankly at the two, with bright, sky blue, inocent, youthful optics, not knowing what to say to the two standing before him, he didn't want to seem like a sparkling for being tramatized, by Que and Ironhide's death, scared that the situation when they were captured, could possibly happen again.

"Are the recent events that happened, bothering you?" Sideswipe asked breaking the silence.

Mirage's optics started to tear up, as he slowly nodded in response to the silver mech, who he saw as his big brother.

"Ok you want to tell what, exactly hit you the hardest?" Optimus asked in a soft tone, keeping the conversation going.

"...Ironhide...Que..." Mirage managed to mutter the names out, as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Mirage their deaths were not in vain, as their deaths hit all of us hard, they died helping us win the war, we would not have won, if it were not for their courageous efforts" Optimus reassured the sobbing youngling, as Sideswipe wrapped a comforting arm around him.

"You understand that right buddy?" Sideswipe cooed, holding back his own feelings of sarrow.

Mirage nodded. "But why did they have to go so earlie!" Mirage cried looking up at the two.

"Mirage, our fate, is unpredictable, can happen at anytime, Ironhide and Que's, just happened to be uncalled for, but they did it saving lives, yours mine Bumblebee's even Ratchet's, just like Wheelie and Brains, if not for them we would have all been scrap" Sideswipe tried answering in the most mature way he possibly could.

"What if we get captured again and they do the same!" Mirage cried out, as tears rolled down his face.

"Mirage it won't happen, for a long time, hopefully never, the war just ended, you trust me right?" Sideswipe reminded, giving Mirage's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Mirage took a deep breath and nodded at Sideswipe, who warmly smiled at him along with Optimus.

"So you going to keep troubles off the road?" Sideswipe cooed.

"Yeah" Mirage chuckled, as the last tears fell.

"Good, that's what we need to hear"

"Now Mirage, if anything else is bothering you, please do come to us" Optimus said, as they walked back int to the base, giving Mirage a suggestion worth taking.

"I Wil..." Mirage smiled.

* * *

**Che cosa la= what the**

**Amico= Friend**


	5. Reading buddies

"Mirage you are not doing reports like everyone else, why not?" Ratchet scoffed, standing over Mirage with his arms crossed. Waiting for the youngling to reply.

"I will, I just need time..." Mirage replied, carrying an uneasy tone. gazing to the side of him.

Ratchet shook his helm and sighed. "Mirage you have all the time in the world to do them, and instead you go for drives with Sideswipe, he has handed in thousands of reports" "Sideswipe of all mechs, and I have never seen even one, come from you!"

"Stop bugging me, I'm not the only one who dosen't do them!" Mirage growled, gesturing to Bumblebee helping the humans reconstruct a fallen wall.

"Very funny Mirage, Bumblebee has never missed a single report before, unlike you" Ratchet retorted, watching Bumblebee help the humans.

Mirage scowled at the medics words. "Of course, baciare il culo..." Mirage grumbled, rolling his optics.

"Mirage, it wouldn't hurt you to be more like Bumblebee, make you a little more easier to handle" Ratchet continued to comment.

"You couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions!" Mirage snapped. Tired of hearing all the things he should be. Storming off past Bumblebee, the humans, and the wreckers.

Sideswipe saw this and skated infront of Mirage. Grabbing the upset youngling by the shoulders. "Whoa whoa, what's going on, why are you getting upset bud?" Sideswipe asked in cool tone, giving a smile.

"Nothing, doc bot is just nagging at me cause I don't do reports" Mirage sighed. Stopping so he could speak with the silver mech.

"And why's that?" Sideswipe asked, letting go of the younglings shoulders.

"I just told you?" Mirage raised an optic ridge, wondering if Sideswipe understood the language he was speaking.

"No I mean, why aren't you doing reports, their easy?" Sideswipe chuckled.

"Cause..." Mirage answered uncomfortably, as he started to walk away from the silver mech.

"Come on Mirage..." Sideswipe whined, about to follow Mirage down the hallway, before he was called over by Bumblebee.

_"Sides, we could use your help here, please!" _Bumblebee called through his radio, as he struggled to hold up two platforms.

"Uuuuh..." Sideswipe gazed back over to the hallway to see Mirage was already gone. "Yeah, I'm coming..." Sideswipe sighed walking over to the struggling scout.

"What's up with Mirage, I thought he was doing better?" Lennox asked, as Sideswipe helpfully lifted the second platform.

"He is, Ratchet's just nagging him about his reports, nothing new" Sideswipe shrugged in reply to to the colonel.

_"Then why doesn't he just do the reports, so old timer doesn't bother him?" _Bumblebee questioned, gazing over his shoulder to see the silver mech.

"Because I don't know Bee" Sideswipe shrugged. "All I know is Optimus never had a problem with him not doing reports, until doc bot started complaining" Sideswipe sighed shaking his helm. "I'll talk to Optimus, and see if he can do something"

Meanwhile in Mirage's own quarters. He sat on his berth, staring blankly at all of unfilled out reports he had. Fidgeting with the stylus held in his servo, he continued that blank stare. Unable to do the simple task of reading or wrighting.

Optimus watched the spy struggle at the simple task. Standing in the doorway of the younglings room. He continued to watch the youngling, struggle and curse himself, for lack of education he had.

Optimus new Mirage's history. He was quite a few years, younger then Bumblebee. Back on Cybertron, he was orphaned just like Bumblebee was. Bumblebee went to classes at the youth sectors, and got to learn the basic skills before the war took a turn for the worst, as the war broke out Bumblebee became a very youthful toddler, and Mirage was born. His creators being offlined only moments after his berth, he was rescued by a femme that worked at the youth sectors. The femme brought him back to the youth sectors, only to have the cons destroy the youth sectors, killing all the younglings and sparklings within it. Bumblebee and Mirage were both pulled from the wreckage, and brought back to the Autobot base. Mirage was only a few hours old and was bearly functional. Optimus grew found of the two as they grew. And soon adopted Bumblebee. Optimus waited to see if anyone would adopt the red sparkling. Mirage, at that time, was more attached to the twins. Especially Sideswipe. And the more he hung out with the two, the more trouble he caused. Mirage was a fast learning little sparkling, and quickly got a bad rep. Deeming no one wanted to adopt him. Mirage never had a spark bond formed with anyone before, and was always quiet, usually never wanting to socialize with any other mech or femme on the base. All he focused on was the fighting, and his training to become the ledgendary spy he is today.

Optimus had always wanted to adopt the red sparkling. But felt him and Bumblebee did not get along well. And that would cause conflict between them all. But maybe he over thought the adoption, and thought about what could happen rather then, thinking what was best for the red youngling. Regardless Optimus wanted to help.

"Mirage?" Optimus called softly, as he took a step into the younglings room.

Mirage visibly jumped, and quickly grabbed and bunched up, all the scattered data pads on his berth. "Optimus, I didn't see you there, I was just uh..."

"No need for excuses Mirage" Optimus chuckled. "Sideswipe informed me about Ratchet being on you, for not doing your reports" Optimus smiled, helping the youthful spy collect the blank data pads.

"Oh, he did?" Mirage asked. Slowing his pace neatly placing the data pads in a pile next to him.

"Yes, is there some way I could assist you" Optimus offered. "Help you with reports, so our cranky medic isn't beating you over the helm for not doing them?" Optimus joked, trying to make things as comfortable as possible for the youngling.

Mirage gave the prime a nervous smile, and fidgeted with the data pads. "Nope... everythings fine I can do it by myself..." Mirage nervously replied.

"Mirage don't lie to me" Optimus sternly cooed, watching the youngling get up, to place the blank data pads on a large table.

"I'll get them done!" Mirage assured the prime. "No you won't Mirage!" Optimus argued. "Mirage I know you can't read, or write" Optimus sighed. Mirage puased for a moment. "So what!" He growled, sitting back on his berth.

"I want to teach you" Optimus said, sitting beside the youngling. "I don't need someone to teach me" Mirage insisted. "I can figure it out on my own" Mirage sighed. "Just let me try, and if it dosen't work for you, I won'" Optimus negotiated. "...Fine whatever" Mirage grumbled, handing Optimus a blank report.

About three hours later, back out in the main room. Sideswipe had finished helping, Bumblebee, and the humans. He was ready to go for a drive with Mirage. But the spy being no where in site. Was most likely still hiding in his room. Sideswipe calmly skated over to Mirage's room. And Knocked before walking in. Sideswipe knew he was aloud to walk into the younglings room like that, he had done it many times before.

Mirage wasn't alarmed to see Sideswipe coming in. Not many bots dared to just walk in his room without permision. "Hey what's going on in here, getting some reports done" Sideswipe cooed, leaning on the berth. To see the prime and youngling getting reports done. "Yep, we're almost finished!" Mirage excitedly replied. Mirage's reply put a smile both on Optimus's and Sideswipe's face. "And you're done, great job Mirage!" Optimus praised. Taking the last filled in report from the youngling.

"Awesome, now old and rusty wont bug you!" Sideswipe chuckled. "Nope" Mirage smiled, shaking his helm. "So you ready for a drive?" Sideswipe asked. "Yeah!" Mirage excitedly answered. "Ok I'll be waiting by the exit" Sideswipe said, leaving the room.

"Thank you, for helping me" Mirage turned to Optimus. "Sorry I was difficult" Mirage apologized. "It's ok, I'm happy to help you" Optimus smiled. Playfully wrapping an arm around the youngling. Mirage laughed, as they both walked out into the main room. Where Sideswipe patiently waited. "Have fun, and don't tear up the streets" Optimus told the red spy. Before letting the ferrari leave with the corvette. "I won't!" Mirage peeled off with Sideswipe. Earning an optic roll from Optimus.

* * *

baciare il culo= Kiss ass


End file.
